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I like the Alaska Guide Creations packs (ironically made in California I believe) kinda like Alaska Scope Shield is made in Idaho.

Anyways, there is enough pockets to have my binos, rangefinder, kinfe, lighter, license/tags, chapstick and what not always with me even when I drop my pack for a final stalk. That way one person can start breaking down the critter while the other goes back for the packs. Always nice to have those odds and ends with me. THere are more compact ones like the S4, Badlands, Sikta to name a few, but I appreciate the larger Alaska Guide Creations as I am able to haul my essentials there with easy access to it all without taking off my pack.

Haven't shot it with a bow on as I am only a bow hunter to extend my hunting seasons when rifles can't be used so can't tell ya if it'd get in the way of that, mabye I'll dust off the bow tomorrow to try it.

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Thanks Luke! So do the binoculars have a strap on them as well, like the Bino System, or do they just sit in the pack? Also, how does the pack open? Is it a zipper, magnet, etc? And how much does the whole pack weigh? I could not find that spec on the site.

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Its a standard quick buckle like the mini version of what the top of your pack lid is buckled with. The binos are not attached they just sit in the pouch, which i prefer so sharing binos is easy as well as not having any resistance to pull against either or lanyards to get hung up or tangled. Its not as light as others on the market I am willing to be being as its larger and has more pockets, but this is once place I am willing to sacrifice the weight.....or atleast until Aron convinces Patrick to make one simialr in KU style.

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I'm still on the quest to find the perfect bino cover. Have tried the elastic bino "bra" and while simple, it leaves your binos vulnerable to exposure and I don't like the elastic tug when glassing. I used the S4 lock down last year and that was close to the right set up but your binos are still exposed and can get dirty lenses, etc. The plus side is it's so low profile. This winter I had the ACG pack sent after reading everyone's recommendations. After speaking with Jaret I think they changed up the design a little because I just wasn't into it. Felt very big and boxy on my chest and there was a ton of room inside with my Leica 10x42 Ultravids. So I sent it back. I want to love it because Jaret's such a cool guy. I have read a ton of positive reviews on the ACG and if you really want this one I would try and find a used older model. The one in Luke's pic appears to be the older model, with the scalloped lid vs the new lid which is straight and box like. Anyone have first hand knowledge on the possibility of there being different ACG designs? I'll admit this is all my perspective or opinion and not based by any actual fact so take that for what it's worth! I also think that if you want something that feels just like binos, this is going to feel weird. If you're cool with a chest pack type set up, you'll probably be very happy. I started with the elastic bino bra so anything much more than my binos themselves seems like a lot.

This year I'm having a pouch made that looks to be a cross between the ACG and the lock down. Best of both worlds while still remaining slim and out of the way. The guy that makes them is a bowhunter himself and I have high hopes for this one. Once I get it (should be the nex month or so - like all custom stuff there's a wait list) I'll post pics and a review. Hopefully the search will end with this one.

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I just saw the FHF Gear bino pouch. Now that looks perfect for me. Anyone tried those? They also have a rangefinder pouch that attaches to the belt. The binocs also attach to the straps directly, so you don't have to worry about dropping them. Very nice!www.fhfgear.com/Hunt.php

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I just saw the FHF Gear bino pouch. Now that looks perfect for me. Anyone tried those? They also have a rangefinder pouch that attaches to the belt. The binocs also attach to the straps directly, so you don't have to worry about dropping them. Very nice!www.fhfgear.com/Hunt.php

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Feb 26, 2012

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Got a S4 lock down for Christmas, going to give it a try. I have butler creek scope caps on my bino objective lenses and the one piece leupold eyepeice cover is attached to the bungee cord strap on the S4. So far so good. Only takes a second to pop the caps open and lenses are protected.

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Thanks for all the super helpful advice! This is a great forum. For my needs, the FHF Gear Bino Pouch and Rangefinder Pouch are perfect! I am ordering mine today! They are custom and hand made. http://www.fhfgear.com/Hunt.php

2

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I've tried several different bino harnesses including the badlands, the alaska guide creations (small version before they came out with the large size), the S4 lockdown, the crooked horn bino cover, the IPI bino manager, the Sitka Bino Bivy, and a FHF Gear (Fish/Hunt/Fight) bino harness. I use 8x42 geovids, so they are somewhat bulky and several options were ruled out just because the binos were too big.

Out of all of those I like the FHF Gear and IPI bino manager (customized) the best. I actually took the IPI bino manager harness and customized the crooked horn bino cover to attach to it and I like that setup best for archery hunting. The FHF Gear bino harness is a close second, but it is somewhat loud when scraping against brush when crawling in on animals while archery hunting and has openings for dust to get into.

I didn't like the S4 lockdown as even the large size was too small for my binos and the straps dug into my neck. I couldn't get it to fit comfortably. The Badlands bino cover seals up well, but is pretty big (but binos fit in it) and if left open and I bend over, my binos have fell out, which isn't good. My binos didn't fit in the Sitka bino bivy. It was a good design, but the magnets were pretty weak. The AGC (1st generation) bino pack was pretty good, but I customized that one quite a bit too. The main buckle holding the top flap down doesn't stay shut and it is just a tad too small for my geovids. I've used it with my old Nikon Monarchs and it works well, except for the main buckle not staying closed.

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Hey AZ Ron were those your only 2 complaints w/ the FHF bino harness? Of all the ones I have seen that looks the best to me, the Badlands is too big as stated and others just aren't too great but when I seen the FHF it grabbed my eye, maybe cuz I hadn't seen it before but it grabbed my eye none the less... Any more info on it would be great, thanks!

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Hey AZ Ron were those your only 2 complaints w/ the FHF bino harness? Of all the ones I have seen that looks the best to me, the Badlands is too big as stated and others just aren't too great but when I seen the FHF it grabbed my eye, maybe cuz I hadn't seen it before but it grabbed my eye none the less... Any more info on it would be great, thanks!

Yeah, the openings that allow dust onto the binos and the noise factor are the only two (very minor) issues I've had with mine. It is comfortable and I really like the harness system to attach the binoculars to the chest harness. Others like the AGC you still need a shoulder strap or just leave the binos unattached in the pouch.

The FHF gear one can be ordered/made in different materials and fabrics, I believe. The cordura will last a long time and be bombproof. I knew it would be a little louder when I ordered it, but wasn't too concerned about it as my pack(s) are cordura, but when I was crawling in on some deer during early archery deer season and the weeds and grass were scratching across the bino harness, it made me second guess it for archery. It has been my goto harness for helping others, scouting, and rifle hunts. Paul makes a good product and you can get it customized if needed.

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Just got my FHF Gear order last night. Great stuff. Haven't tried it in the field yet so can't comment but I will give this piece of advice to anyone doing a custom order - when I sent in the dimension of my binos I was in a hurry and just took them off the manufacturer's site. Of course, when they give those dimensions it's with the binos all compact. I did not account for raised eye cups on my Leicas (completely my fault) and so when raised the lid doesn't come down as far as I'd like, but still offers ample protection and looks good but I would have accounted for that had I thought of that as that's how I usually carry them, raised up and ready for viewing.